Solvent-Free Depolymerization of Plastic Waste Enabled by Plastic-Catalyst Interfacial Engineering

Depolymerization of condensation polymers by chemolysis often suffers from the large usage of solvents and homogeneous catalysts such as acids, bases, and metal salts. The catalytic efficiency of heterogeneous catalysts is largely constrained by the poor interfacial contact between solid catalysts and solid plastics below melting points. We report here our discovery of autogenous heterogeneous catalyst layer on polyethylene terephthalate surfaces during the generally believed homogeneous catalytic depolymerization process. Inspired by the “contact mass” concept in industrial chlorosilane production, we further demonstrate that the construction of plastic-catalyst solid-solid interfaces enables solvent-free depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate by vapor phase methanolysis at relatively low temperatures. Trace amounts of earth-abundant element (zinc) introduced by electrostatic adsorption is sufficient for catalyzing the depolymerization. The concept of plastic-catalyst contact mass interfacial catalysis might inspire new pathways for tackling plastic waste problems.     

The D.C. voltage-dependent resistivity of CuCl powder compacts under pressure

The CuCl powder compacts are found to exhibit d.c. voltage dependent resistivity. The resistivity drops by six orders of magnitudes when the applied voltage exceeds a critical value V_c.V_c is found to decrease with the increase in pressure. The high conducting phase shows a positive temperature coefficient of resistance at 1 atm of 0.004°C^-1 which increases with pressure at a rate 0.0004°C^?1 GPa^?1. It is suggested that the pressure induced transition reported at 4 GPa could arise from the application of d.c. voltage.     

Microstructural study of thin films of 5 mol% gadolinia-doped ceria prepared by pulsed laser ablation

Microstructural characterization of thin films of 5 mol% gadolinia-doped ceria films deposited by pulsed laser ablation in the energy range 100–600 mJ/pulse has been investigated. As-deposited films were found to be nanocrystalline with preferred orientation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the size of the nanocrystals of doped ceria does not vary significantly with increasing laser energy, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study showed a uniform distribution of nanocrystals of 8–10 nm for energies ≤200 mJ/pulse and nanocrystals embedded in a large crystalline matrix of doped ceria for energies in the range 400–600 mJ/pulse. Though, the laser-ablated films were totally free from secondary phases, lattice imaging of the large grained doped ceria showed growth-induced defects such as dislocations and ledges. This artice was accidentally published twice. This is the second publication, please cite only the authoritative first one which is available at . An additional erratum is available at . An erratum to this article can be found at     

Random Fibonacci sequences and the number

For the familiar Fibonacci sequence (defined by , and for ), increases exponentially with at a rate given by the golden ratio . But for a simple modification with both additions and subtractions - the random Fibonacci sequences defined by , and for , , where each sign is independent and either or - with probability - it is not even obvious if should increase with . Our main result is that

with probability . Finding the number involves the theory of random matrix products, Stern-Brocot division of the real line, a fractal measure, a computer calculation, and a rounding error analysis to validate the computer calculation.

     

Use of catalyst pharmacophore models for screening of large combinatorial libraries

Using a data set comprised of literature compounds and structure-activity data for cyclin dependent kinase 2, several pharmacophore hypotheses were generated using Catalyst and evaluated using several criteria. The two best were used in retrospective searches of 10 three-dimensional databases containing over 1,000,000 proprietary compounds. The results were then analyzed for the efficiency with which the hypotheses performed in the areas of compound prioritization, library prioritization, and library design. First as a test of their compound prioritization capabilities, the pharmacophore models were used to search combinatorial libraries that were known to contain CDK active compounds to see if the pharmacophore models could selectively choose the active compounds over the inactive compounds. Second as a test of their utility in library design again the pharmacophore models were used to search the active combinatorial libraries to see if the key synthons were over represented in the hits from the pharmacophore searches. Finally as a test of their ability to prioritize combinatorial libraries, several inactive libraries were searched in addition to the active libraries in order to see if the active libraries produced significantly more hits than the inactive libraries. For this study the pharmacophore models showed potential in all three areas. For compound prioritization, one of the models selected active compounds at a rate nearly 11 times that of random compound selection though in other cases models missed the active compounds entirely. For library design, most of the key fragments were over represented in the hits from at least one of the searches though again some key fragments were missed. Finally, for library prioritization, the two active libraries both produced a significant number of hits with both pharmacophore models, whereas none of the eight inactive libraries produced a significant number of hits for both models.     

β-Cyclodextrin and its derivatives mediate selectivity in reduction of (R)-(+)-pulegone with sodium dithionite

Pulegone is reduced in two stages by sodium dithionite—first to menthone and later to epimeric methols. The presence of-cyclodextrin (BCD) and its derivatives resulted in more of the alcohols being formed. While the double bond was reduced predominantly in water, the ketone moiety was also reduced in a water-DMF mixture. A small percentage of menthone remained relatively unaffected in water-DMF even in the presence of BCD and its derivatives. Although no unreacted pulegone could be detected, exclusive alcohol formation was also not observed. Reduction of the double bond was found to be faster than that of the ketone.     

ChemInform Abstract: The Crystal Structures of Ni3+xSn4Zn and Ni6+xSn8Zn and Their Structural Relations to Ni3+xSn4, NiSn and Ni5‐δZnSn4.

Two new compounds, Ni_3+xSn₄Zn (x≈1.35, monoclinic, space group I2/m, Z = 2, single crystal XRD) and Ni_6+xSn₈Zn (x≈1.35, monoclinic, space group C2/m, Z = 2) are prepared by solid state reaction of the elements (Al₂O₃ crucible in evacuated quartz tubes, 1453 K).     

β-Cyclodextrin-Mediated Stereoregularity in Polyacrylonitrile Polymers

Abstract

Polyacrylonitrile polymers produced in the presence of molar equivalents of β-cyclodextrin (BCD) showed variation in stereoregularity. Thus, an increase in the acrylonitrile:BCD ratio showed an increase in isotacticity in the polymers formed. Inclusion complexation of acrylonitrile by BCD was detected by both ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy, which gave a binding constant value of 7242 ± 360 M^?1 for the 1:1 complex.     

Solidification of selenium melt under pressure up to 6.5 GPa

Abstract

High purity selenium samples were melted under high pressure (≤6.4 GPa) and quenched at various rates ranging from 2 K s^?1 to 500 K s^?1 and the recovered material was examined by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. In the entire range of pressure and cooling rate, the melt was found to solidify into a polycrystalline aggregate of the trigonal phase of selenium. The samples obtained by slow cooling of the melt at 6.4 GPa contain, in addition to crystalline phase, regions which appear to be amorphous.